The term textile lingerie item denotes any item of male or female underwear designed with holding elements capable of being supplemented with an elastomeric material of the silicone type, for example, in order to obtain an anti-sliding function for the lingerie item and in particular for brassieres, especially of the strapless type, and hosiery items of the tightfitting type, stockings, knee-length stockings, socks or even high socks.
Therefore, it is known, for example, to provide at the top of stockings or also on the back parts of a strapless brassiere called “strapless” a coating of silicone, especially of the tacky type, that is, with a consistency between adhesive and sticky (“tacky” according to English terminology”) intended to hold the lingerie item in place without slipping due to movements of the body. In the case of the top of stockings this coating is preferably made over the entire inner surface of the stocking top in the form of a continuous surface deposit, which can have a length of several centimeters and a certain thickness for an optimal anti-slippage effect. As concerns the “strapless” brassieres, they are classically supplemented with continuous bands of silicone extending along the edge of the back parts of the brassiere with, for example two bands of silicone arranged on the upper edge of the back part and one band of silicone on the lower edge.
Now, the usage of silicone under these conditions proved to be directly associated with the appearance of more or less severe cutaneous reactions in the users. In fact, since silicone is an impermeable elastomer, the silicone bands gripping the skin function by inducing a harmful occlusion phenomenon on the skin, preventing it from regulating its quantity of water and blocking the exchanges with the outer environment. This phenomenon of occlusion favors an excessive perspiration followed by a maceration of the skin whose surface is therefore rendered fragile. In addition, the movements of the body induce a scissors effect of the silicone bands on the skin due to the fact of the difference of elasticity between the skin and the silicone but also on account of the rubbing of the silicone on the skin. This rubbing, added to the occlusion phenomenon, rapidly becomes a source of cutaneous irritations that can be expressed by the appearance of reddened areas, micro-cuts and even blisters (peeling of the epidermis and of the dermis).
The attempt has already been made to reduce to the maximum the surface occupied by the silicone bands on the back part of the brassiere in order to limit the undesirable effects mentioned above but, however, to the detriment of the anti-slipping properties of the brassiere.
The patent document US 2008/0236417 teaches an edge of a siliconized hosiery item for holding the hosiery item in place without slipping and which comprises a discontinuous coating of silicone on the inner surface of the edge intended to come in contact with the skin. This discontinuous coating is formed by a repeated pattern of points and of segments of silicone arranged in the form of types of stars deposited on the surface of the edge of the hosiery item and using an impression by screen printing technique. The points and segments of silicone are placed in such a manner as to cover a substantial part of the surface of the edge of the hosiery item, thus creating a significant contact surface of the silicone with the skin lying underneath it, while the spaces left between them allow a certain ability of the skin to breathe to be retained. However, the adherence capacity obtained by the presence of this silicone pattern is not optimal, which prevents hoping to use it to supplement a part of the back of a strapless brassiere, an item for which the expectations of the users in terms of hold and of comfort are very high.